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Popular Girl Names from the 1920s

1920s baby girl names

Do you love vintage baby names that hark back to times gone by? If you're expecting a baby girl this year, taking a look at the most popular names of the 1920s might be a good way to begin your search for the perfect retro name.

Obviously, some of the names topping the charts in the early decades of the 20th century may sound too fusty for a baby born today, but there are more than enough beautiful options ripe for a comeback.

First, let's look at the 10 most popular girl's names from the 1920s:

Top 10 Girl Names of the 1920s

  1. Mary. This biblical classic was by far the most popular girl's name in the 1920s, with more than 700,000 baby girls getting the name from 1920 through 1929.
  2. Dorothy. A chart-topper in the 1920s, Dorothy is struggling to find favor with modern parents. Perfect if you want your daughter to stand out among all the Olivias and Emmas.
  3. Helen. Choose this, and your daughter will have a lot of famous namesakes: Helen Mirren, Helen Hunt, Helen Herron Taft...
  4. Betty. Today, baby Bettys are in short supply. But turn the clock back 100 years, and Betty was a Top 10 name.
  5. Margaret. This popular 1920s' girl name has a beautiful meaning ('pearl'), and it lends itself to a wide range of nicknames including Maggie, Marge, Meg, Peggy, Mags, Daisy, Margo and Maisie.
  6. Ruth. Short but strong, Ruth was at the peak of its popularity in the 1920s, but has never completely lost its luster since then.
  7. Virginia. This 1920s' hit has the cool V-sound, literary cred via Virginia Woolf, and patriotic overtones (Virginia was the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America and became known as "the birthplace of a nation"). The one hitch: the virgin associations may cause some teasing down the line.
  8. Doris. Almost all old names eventually make a comeback. If you want to be ahead of the curve, this relic of a name should help you do just that.
  9. Mildred. This top name from the 1920s may be too clunky to most contemporary ears, but it does have one thing going for it: the super sweet (and popular) vintage nickname Millie.
  10. Frances. An Old Hollywood powerhouse, made famous by Golden Age stars Dee, Farmer, Drake and Langford. Frances Cleveland adds a presidential edge. Nicknames include Fran and Franny, as well as the tomboyish Frankie.

Not a fan of any of the names listed above? Time to look beyond the top 10! The following list ranks the next most popular names all the way until name #100. And, if after scrolling through the names you still don't have enough options on your shortlist, have a look at the our collection of uncommon baby girl names from the 1920s. Or, see what happens if you broaden your search to include the most popular girl names of the 1910s or the top girl names from the 1930s.

More Popular Girl Names from the 1920s